So today was the first decent day of the year: sunny and about 60 degrees. Mr. O'Kitten and I were sharing a coffee on some steps at the north end of Union Square Park when a slim guy in a big sweatshirt, headphones, and a hat walked past, scribbling in a small notebook. I said to Mr. O'Kitten, "Hey--he looks like Demetri Martin..." and then, "That's definitely Demetri Martin." After a very brief pause, I whispered, "Should I go talk to him?"

Mr. O'Kitten knows that I've had a bit of a crush on Demetri Martin for quite awhile, that I watch Important Things with Demetri Martin every week and occasionally look him up on the YouTubes, which sets me to giggling in a most annoying way while Mr. O'Kitten is trying to slay monsters in World-of-Warcraft or somesuch on the next computer over. So when asked if I should go talk to Mr. Martin, Mr. O'Kitten helpfully offered me this advice: "I don't know."

Meanwhile Martin was moving at a brisk NY pace and I sensed my opportunity was about to go to waste. I hopped up and ran after him.

When I caught up with him he was still working on his sketch and I hesitated for a moment. Then, I gently patted him on the arm.

He looked up. "Yeah?"

"Demetri?" I asked, just in case he was a celebrity impersonator and not the real thing.

Then I paused awkwardly, realizing I had not prepared anything else to say. Should I tell him I had also gone to Yale, thereby impressing him with our shared alma mater? Instead I almost said, "I really like your work," but stopped myself when I realized that seemed like an unbelieveably moronic thing to tell a comedian. Could I say, "You've made me laugh so hard I cried," which is true, but even more moronic than my previous thought.

So I simply said, "I'm...I'm a...big fan." I really did stutter, and I felt like just as big of an idiot as it made me sound. As usual, I felt the need to elaborate, so I prattled on: "I really like the show, which I watch, and I was watching you before that, it's really good..." Yeah, I was about that inarticulate.

"Thanks. That's good to hear. I'm glad you like it," he said. He really was nice, considering I could easily be a mental patient out on a day pass (which, incidentally, I had been in this very spot just a few years ago).

"Uh, nice to meet you. And...thanks," I managed.

He was very polite. "Nice meeting you, Shannah." And then he scurried off into the park, surely thinking, "God, please let her not be a creepy stalker. Or a mental patient out on a day pass."

A group of people in Union Square were distributing free hugs today. My mother-in-law, a true New Yorker, found this virtually incomprehensible, but we explained to her that there really were people holding up placards that said "Free Hugs" on them, and then hugging anyone who wanted an embrace.

One man who heard them saying "Free Hugs" came running up and asked excitedly, "Free hugs? What are hugs?"

Celeb Sightings

When you've been in NYC for awhile, you inevitiably see a few famous folks. I've never been very good at the celebrity sighting game, primarily because I'm terrible at recognizing people out of context. But I still have a list of people that I've met in various contexts (those are marked with an asterisk) or merely spotted in one place or another over the years.

So here for your bemusement is my own personal list of "NY Celeb Sightings":

9 comments:

That is so brave of you to say something!! That is quite the impressive list of famous people. What does the asterik next to the names mean? Here is my list of famous people I've seen in NYC.1. Adrian Brody, 2. Uma Thurman 3. Janine Garofalo4. Rosie Perez 5. Mike Bloomberg 6. Julie Andrews 7. Jeff Goldblum 8. Whoopie Goldberg 9. Brooke Hogan 10. Martha Stewart 11. Bjork

And wow--Bjork! She's so cool. She's actually married to the artist - filmmaker Matthew Barney on my list. I went to school with him and saw him in NY a few times while I was working at an art museum. Never with Bjork though!

Wow! I haven't spent enough time in NYC to have a list like that. Really, you don't run into too many celebs in Tucson (or my section of Chicago, for that matter)!

Joe Torre - cool! I've seen him, but I don't think it counts to see him inside the stadium. Although we did enjoy a close-up view of Paul O'Neill's rear as he was stretching just feet from the stands. He was enjoying showing off I think.

well, i made this list over nearly 20 years, lol. the upper east side art museum i worked at when i first moved here was a very good spot for sightings...both the museum and the posh neighborhood it was in.

How cool! I am well known for saying unbelievably stupid things to famous people.. its a gift. When we lived in Athens GA I met Fred Schneider - he tried to put my little chihuahua in his pocket and take her home!

I'm envious of Matthew Barney. I've been looking for an excuse to set up an interview with him for years. So far, no legit occasion. I did meet Peter Buck once in Athens, back in the day as they say. He thought I was somebody else.

slithy toves

mimsy borogroves

"One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it--it was the black kitten's fault entirely." (L. Carroll, Through the Looking Glass)
I'm Yankee-Born and Southern-Raised, which makes me kind of Southern Gothic (in the old literary sense of the word). After 15 years in the Big Apple, I spent 4 years on a farm in Michigan raising chickens and llamas and learning to spin, knit, and needle-felt. Now I'm back home in NYC with my much-beloved spouse and one crazy tortiseshell cat. You can also find me on Ravelry.com as okitten.